Sounds like the USS Donald Cook incident to me, some 10 plus years ago in the Black Sea, no doubt that never happened either.
No doubt?
On the contrary, there's much doubt since, IIRC, the only primary, first, source of the story is this anonymousVoltairenet article. If you go through all the discussion and analysis about it it seems clear that the story is totally bogus.
So, you mean it's standard operational procedure of the Russians that they attack otthers by firing electronic warfare weapons at them in international waters?
Tell me, why is there no doubt in your mind about this, please?
A wise guy recently told me:-
There are four types of people:
Trust but verify.
No trust but verify.
Trust but no verify (the official story is always right).
No trust and no verify (AKA everything official is wrong and I don't have to verify).
Here is our previous discussion about this:-
I said no doubt that never happened either. Now you have to work out whether I was being sarcastic, or not. Perhaps you could check with ChatGPT
You're quite a NASA guy...
Never A Straight Answer
I can’t see any Voltairnet ref on this one:
Careful…
And what is that one please?
Is https://therearenosunglasses.wordpress.com/ a trustworthy source of information, please? Where, how is the value of that page determined?
It starts with a report by Sam LaGrone of the buzzing incident taken from USNI News (US Naval Institute) but that doesn't mention anything about electronic warfare or demoralized sailors etc.
It then contains this;-
Recently sailors on the USS Donald Cook got owned by Russians:
“Dear Mary, you can not imagine what happened . Such a shame I have ever felt in my life . Some of the children were crying like little kids, our superiors drank half a bottle of whiskey to recover from this stupid Russian Hibiya ( Russian electronic warfare system ) and the master had become green from shame . ”
Where did this message come from? Or, perhaps (a bit of a conspiracy theory here) Could it possibly be a FAKE ? What value does a piece of text like this existing on the web have? How is it determined if it is credible or not?
It then has some text about the L175M Khibiny-M radar jammingwhich according to my research hasn't been installed on the Su-24 (Cook incident) but on the Su-30, Su-34,
Ok, well, can you give one Straight Answer about your thoughts about the Russians EW attacks, please? I'm curious what you think about the Russian EW attacks.
I see they also attacked USS Eisenhower with EW weapons, paralyzing it in the Persian Gulf in 2023 (Well, according to Borzzikman), I see in this thread
What does ChatGPT say on the subject? Or perhaps a less Western biased AI?
Well it does have a logo of World Armed Forces Forum above it, perhaps that is it?
It’s a well known fact that Russia outclasses the west in EW. Yes, I know it’s hard to believe for the country that drives to the front on bicycles and in Bread Vans….
From the article : “Newer Flankers carry the podded wingtip mounted KNIRTI SPS-171 / L005S Sorbtsiya-S mid/high band defensive jammer (ECM), this system being an evolution of a jammer developed for the Backfire C”
I don't know if you are serious or not...
It seems to have originated on a parody site.
Here's some Deep Research I did on it:-
My favorite Mary!
I'm sorry I didn't write you for a whole week. I was taking a course of psychological rehabilitation at our base in Romania. I can tell that something terrible happened. And not only with me but also with all our gallant crew of destroyer " Donald cook".
Our destroyer armed with the best systems defeat the enemy, no such aircraft, missiles or submarines, which we could not catch. Our system "aegis" can confuse even ballistic missiles. To serve this ship can only best sailors, brave and despising death, as buffaloes, Arizona.
Now, my dear, when our "Donald cook" has entered the Black sea to high to raise the flag of freedom and democracy, the captain put us on the deck and said in a speech: "Guys, we have a very important mission is to demonstrate the face of America before unbelted Russian bear. You all know that the Russians took away from democratic Ukraine half of the territory of Crimea and preparing to chop off her second half. This threatens our national interests, because we can't afford to grab them that can grab them yourself. The forces of freedom and democracy in Ukraine is still young, and we must show the Russians, under which a reliable protection they are. Do not doubt that the Russian bear will make in your pants when you see such a weapon of retribution as "Donald cook". In this hour of testing you need courage, consistency and discipline." We thrice cried "hip-hip hurrah" and prepared to show the Russians that awaits them if they raise their hand for the second half of Ukraine.
The next day, when our ship was heading towards the Crimea, we have found in the Russian sky flying trough, which is called the SU-24 and released since then, when our parents were still in primary school. Once in the classroom at the war College, we studied this rarity and laughed at his characteristics. It is more suitable for irrigation, chemical fertilizers or for spraying from the air children's toys. So when played anxiety, we fled in its combat posts, anticipating, how to play cat and mouse with this messenger from the past. I even had time to run to sworn with ed that will be able to take this rusty iron under a sight more times than he. Ed manages same quick installation "Phalanx"as I am, and from it, we thought, there is no salvation.
...We were Russian locator to its approach to the affected area, then to cover it up. However, when he entered the damn zone, began mysticism. First off, our locators, then turned off the designation "Phalanxes"and the "aegis" is out of order. Our magnificent "Donald cook" was swinging on the waves like a dead turtle. It turns out that this damned Russian scrap metal, SU-24, included equipment electronic suppression, and the pride of our fleet has become in our shame!
And Russian became openly sneer at us. He gave us a twelve educational attacks, went on our locators belly, muffled us roar of the engine and in General showed us all that at this shitty trough can swim only the crappy team... Departing, he waved her wings, and edu even imagined that he showed us the middle finger of the right hand. But I think ed writes, because at the war College we were taught that in such cases the Russians show a fico score.
Mary, you can't imagine what has happened to us! Such a shame we never experienced before in your life. Some of our guys weep like children, others would hit her head on idle devices, senior assistant in the eyes of the crew drank from his throat whisky bottle and yelled at all the crew: "These fucking Russians "Khibiny" (Russian system of electronic warfare. - JS), and the captain was green with anger.
In this state, we were barely able to moor to the Romanian coast, and immediately after mooring three dozen of our guys wrote in his resignation. They could not endure the thought that at the decisive moment, our technique can turn into a shit, with whom they have to go to the seabed. With me was crying and I was taken to the hospital.
Mary, I have always loved our America and wanted the stars and stripes brought freedom to the world. But after this incident, the idea of dismissal became me to pursue. To hell with them, with the money, my dear. Better you buy a small farm in Arizona, will grow for sale celery and sing the songs in our Church on Sundays. I think that America is better not to take under the protection of our brothers on democracy in Ukraine. If one old Russian trough was able to put on side our ultramodern "Donald cook", we can imagine that they can make their new planes! And if they are able to suppress not only the instruments, but also the brains of the crew? Herself think, why do I need you without brains? Love and kisses, always your johnny.
Source:
Дмитрий Седов - «Этот проклятый русский металлолом…» - Фонд стратегической культуры –...
Дмитрий Седов - «Этот проклятый русский металлолом…» - Фонд стратегической культуры – электронное издание. США. Россия. Фонд Стратегической Культуры | Strategic Culture Foundation
source: https://www.facebook.com/andrey.dergachev.1957/posts/641820709204315
Laughably bad and obvious machine translate from Russian propaganda.
AI augmented analysis by me:-
PROMPT 1:
if russian propaganda were to write some satirical propaganda about an american sailor and his girlfriend, what would be the top 25 most probable names they would use for them
Output (what AI said)
Male (sailor) names
- Joe
- Johnny
- Billy
- Bobby
- Jimmy
- Mike
- Jack
- Tom
- Chuck
- Hank
- Eddie
- Bud
Female (girlfriend) names
13. Betty
14. Susie
15. Nancy
16. Peggy
17. Cindy
18. Sally
19. Linda
20. Barbie
21. Debbie
22. Kathy
23. Jenny
24. Mary Lou
25. DaisyThese aren’t modern hipster picks — they’re clichés. Russian satire thrives on exaggeration, so “Sailor Johnny” and “Betty Lou” would be portrayed as brash, naïve, materialistic, or lovesick — echoing Cold War-era tropes rather than accurate demographics.
PROMPT 2:
Prompt: Propaganda & Translation Artefact Analysis
Objective: Examine the supplied text for (1) propaganda techniques, (2) indicators of poor or automated translation from another language, and (3) other linguistic or narrative red flags suggesting fabrication or inauthenticity.
Tasks:
- Propaganda Traits
- Identify framing devices (heroic self-portrayal, demonising adversary, exaggerated stakes, moral binaries).
- Detect emotional loading, repetition, slogans, or ritualistic expressions (“hip-hip hurrah,” “flag of freedom”).
- Flag improbable or unverifiable claims used to drive narrative (mass resignations, captain drinking whisky).
- Highlight inconsistencies between claimed expertise and implausible technical descriptions.
- Machine-Translation / Non-Native Artefacts
- Spot literal or awkward phrasing (“entered the Black sea to high to raise the flag”, “as buffaloes, Arizona”).
- Look for inconsistent tense usage, gender or number agreement errors, unnatural idioms, or word order typical of Slavic→English MT.
- Check for mistranslated technical terms or “false friends” (e.g., “released since then” for “in service since”).
- Compare named systems, ship classes, and events to known real-world terminology to see if names or contexts are mangled.
- Tell-Tale Signs of Fabrication
- Cross-check chronology, geography, and technical plausibility of described events.
- Note cartoonish or caricature elements (enemy mocked, comical gestures).
- Evaluate whether multiple stylistic registers are mixed (romantic letter vs. military report).
- Assess whether narrative reads like a composite translation from multiple sources.
- Output Format
- For each detected element, classify as [PROPAGANDA], [TRANSLATION ARTEFACT], or [FABRICATION SIGNAL].
- Provide a brief quote from the text with explanation of why it fits that category.
- Conclude with a confidence score (0–100) for each of the three dimensions, explaining what evidence would raise or lower the score.
Propaganda & Translation Artefact Analysis of Provided Text
Output
1. Propaganda Traits
[PROPAGANDA] “Our destroyer armed with the best systems defeat the enemy, no such aircraft, missiles or submarines, which we could not catch.”
→ Inflated self-praise, absolutist claim about invincibility.[PROPAGANDA] “To serve this ship can only best sailors, brave and despising death, as buffaloes, Arizona.”
→ Heroic mythmaking, rhetorical exaggeration, nationalist flattery.[PROPAGANDA] “Do not doubt that the Russian bear will make in your pants when you see such a weapon of retribution as ‘Donald cook’.”
→ Demonisation of enemy, crude caricature, emotional loading.[PROPAGANDA] “Some of our guys weep like children, others would hit her head on idle devices, senior assistant…drank…whisky bottle.”
→ Melodramatic humiliation designed to evoke ridicule, not factual reporting.[PROPAGANDA] Overall structure resembles morality play: brave America vs. savage Russians → humiliation → disillusionment with mission.
2. Machine-Translation / Non-Native Artefacts
[TRANSLATION ARTEFACT] “Entered the Black sea to high to raise the flag of freedom.”
→ “to high” signals mistranslation; expected “to raise high.”[TRANSLATION ARTEFACT] “As buffaloes, Arizona.”
→ Literal calque, broken simile, unnatural idiom.[TRANSLATION ARTEFACT] “When played anxiety, we fled in its combat posts.”
→ Nonsensical phrasing; looks like Russian “играла тревога” (“alarm sounded”).[TRANSLATION ARTEFACT] “He gave us a twelve educational attacks.”
→ Literal rendering of “training attacks” from Russian.[TRANSLATION ARTEFACT] “Ed manages same quick installation ‘Phalanx’ as I am.”
→ Broken pronoun and role assignment, non-native syntax.[TRANSLATION ARTEFACT] “Our magnificent ‘Donald cook’ was swinging on the waves like a dead turtle.”
→ Idiom mismatched to English narrative register.
3. Tell-Tale Signs of Fabrication
[FABRICATION SIGNAL] Implausible technical cascade: all Aegis, Phalanx, and ship systems simultaneously disabled by a single outdated Su-24. Known EW ranges and power levels make this claim highly improbable.
[FABRICATION SIGNAL] “Three dozen of our guys wrote in his resignation immediately after mooring.”
→ U.S. Navy procedure does not permit spontaneous mass resignations after an incident at sea.[FABRICATION SIGNAL] Tone mismatch: presented as love letter yet full of technical jargon and slapstick scenes.
[FABRICATION SIGNAL] Caricature of Russian pilot “showing middle finger / fico score” is theatrical rather than plausible operational detail.
Confidence Scores
Propaganda traits: 95/100
Evidence: heavy use of moral binaries, melodramatic humiliation, emotional appeals. Would lower score only if text came from genuine personal diary—unlikely given tone.Machine translation artefacts: 90/100
Evidence: consistent awkward syntax, idiom transfer, literal calques suggest Slavic source → English machine translation. Confidence slightly reduced because a poor human translator could also produce similar errors.Fabrication signals: 85/100
Evidence: technical implausibility, melodramatic events, unrealistic Navy behavior. Could be reduced if corroborated by primary documentation—which is absent.
Summary: The text shows strong hallmarks of propaganda (heroic exaggeration, cartoonish humiliation), heavy machine translation artifacts (Slavic-to-English calques), and multiple implausible narrative elements suggesting fabrication rather than authentic correspondence. It aligns more with constructed agitprop than with a genuine sailor’s letter.
Why would a supposed leaked letter from an American sailor to his lover contain clear traces of having been written in Russian first?
Addition from https://medium.com/dfrlab/russias-fake-electronic-bomb-4ce9dbbc57f8
...These posts have a number of common features. They are couched as a letter to “My favorite Mary” (likely a direct translation of Russian любимая, meaning either “beloved” or “favorite”) from a Cook crew member called “Johnny.” They are written in what is obviously non-native English, probably machine translated (“We thrice cried ‘hip-hip hurrah’ and prepared to show the Russians that awaits them if they raise their hand for the second half of Ukraine...”)
The fondsk.ru article provides the full text of the Johnny-Mary letter, in Russian. However, it is not presented as a news report or a transcript of an English-language original: it is presented as an opinion piece (“мнение”) by an author called Dmitriy Sedov, a regular contributor to the site.
The fondsk.ru article therefore appears to be the sole source for Vesti’s “news” report. Yet there is no indication that the article was meant to be taken as factual. It was labeled as an opinion piece and given the appropriate byline. The choice of the names “Johnny” and “Mary” has an element of caricature, the description of the crew’s behavior even more so:
“Mary, you can’t imagine how we were! We’ve never been so ashamed in our lives. Some of our boys bawled like babies, others beat their heads against the equipment that wasn’t working. The first officer drank down a whole bottle of whiskey in front of everyone and shouted, ‘Those freaking Russian Khibiny!’ and the captain was green with rage. In this condition, we were barely able to moor to the Romanian shore, and right after mooring, three dozen of our guys wrote their resignation letters. They couldn’t bear the thought that at the decisive moment our equipment could turn into crap, which they’d have to go to the bottom of the sea with.”
Every indication is that this was a parody designed to mock the US Navy. Adding to the impression, it was picked up two days later by a site called freepress.ru, where it was listed in the humor section, as shown by the use of the word “yumor” in the URL: http://freepublish.info/yumor/etot-proklyatyiy-russkiy-metallolom/.
Final confirmation that the story was a fake came from, of all places, the manufacturer of the Khibiny system itself. This is a company called KRET (Концерн Радиоэлектронные технологии, the Concern of Radio-Electronic Technology), part of state enterprise Rostech.
continued at: https://medium.com/dfrlab/russias-fake-electronic-bomb-4ce9dbbc57f8
I am not sure how credible the Huff Post is mind you……
It’s even worse than that.
If you (are you?) pay close, careful attention you see that it says:-
*This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive [send us an email.]
(mailto:[email protected])
So we don’t know who wrote it. Furthermore the person who wrote it cites no sources for these claims and….(to be continued)
But surely the Huff Post is part of respectable western MSM, are you now claiming otherwise?
This response is a textbook straw man and ad hominem. When have I claimed such a thing. I have not.
Instead of engaging with the discussion, you’re trying to discredit me by inventing a position I never took and attacking me personally. Something that is prohibited in the forum guidelines.
"Renee Parsons has been a member of the ACLU’s Florida State Board of Directors and president of the ACLU Treasure Coast Chapter. She has been an elected public official in Colorado, an environmental lobbyist with Friends of the Earth and a staff member with the US House of Representatives in Washington DC."
another short bio:
Renee Parsons was a staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives and a lobbyist on nuclear energy issues with Friends of the Earth. in 2005, she was elected to the Durango City Council and served as Councilor and Mayor. Currently, she is a member of the Treasure Coast ACLU Board.
The HuffPost “Contributor the platform was an open blogging system (2005–2018) where anyone accepted as a contributor could post their own material with minimal editorial oversight. HuffPost shut it down partly because of low vetting and quality-control issues.
Is the suggestion that listing positions like ACLU board member, Friends of the Earth lobbyist, or US House staffer is itself enough to make her accounts credible? Was she really all those things? Where’s the independent proof? Titles alone don’t make extraordinary claims trustworthy.
I have not found much that would verify that this is true. Here's an interesting snippet ,though:-
"The BDF candidates have posted on their Facebook page an article making false claims about the performance of Durango schools by Renee Parsons, a woman who claims to have been abducted by aliens. The photograph of a disheveled classroom used in that article is from Chernobyl! Don’t be fooled by these candidates. Vote for Erika Brown, Rick Petersen and Andrea Parmenter." source
I'm still doing OSINT on Renee Parsons. Will take a few days. (very interesting case).
This response is a textbook straw man and ad hominem. You know I don’t trust the MSM 
Go for it. Huff Post is a rag.